Folding gift box



Jan. 15, 1963 J. w. ULLGER FOLDING GIFT Box 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June15, 1960 Jase er By I f Jan. 15, 1963 J. w. ULLGER FOLDING GIFT BOX 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1960 INVENTOR. Jas'galihflllger, @iZzzzgUnited States Patent 3,073,505 FOLDING GIFT BOX Joseph W. Ullger, ElkinsPark, Pa., assignor to Boas Box Company, Philadelphia, Pa., acorporation of Penn- Sylvania Filed June 15, 1960, Ser. No. 36,258 2Claims. (Cl. 22935) This invention relates to a folding box of cardboardor the like, particularly suitable for use as a gift box. In a preferredform, the box comprises an open-top box and a lid, each made in a flatblank, cut to shape and suitably scored to provide fold lines for readyassembly. When assembled or set up into box form, the box is lockedagainst collapse.

My invention will be clear from a consideration of the followingdetailed description of a preferred form selected for illustration inthe drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a blank of the open-top box itself;

FIG. 2 is a blank of the box lid or cover;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the open-top box beingasesmbled; 4

FIG. 4 is the perspective view illustrating the box lid being assembled;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partly broken away and in section, of theassembled lid;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the assembledopen-top box; and

FIG. 7 is a view, partly broken away, of the combined box and lid.

In describing the preferred embodiment of my inven tion, specificterminology is resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is notmy intention to be limited to the specific terms so selected and it isto be understood that each specific term includes all technicalequivalents which operate in a similar manner to acomplish a similarpurpose.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the blank 10 of the open-top box is cut intothe shape shown in FIG. 1 from a single sheet of cardboard or the likeand is scored to provide fold lines, as indicated in FIG. 1 by thedotted lines.

Thus cut and scored, the blank 10 forms, among other things, a squarebottom section 11 and two rectangular side-wall sections 12 and 13. Theend walls are each comprised of three sections, 14, 15, 16 and 17, 18,19 respectively. The center sections 15, 18 of the end Walls are deeplynotched, as shown, forming generally triangular sections having at theapex the tab portions 25 and 2-8, respectively.

Diagonally-opposed corner sections 14, 19 are of correspondingly similarshape relative to each other, as are the other diagonally-opposed cornersections 16 and 17. The corner sections 14 and 19 are provided with L-shaped slits 24, 29 in the extended corner regions, and also with Y-cuts34, 39 the angled legs of which are slits extending inwardly from thenotched edge.

Diagonally-opposed corner sections 16 and 17 are provided with ears 26,27 extending therefrom having slits 36 and 37 cut parallel with theouter edge of the ears. The corner sections 16, 17 are also providedwith Y-cuts 46, 47, as shown.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the blank 20 of the box lid or cover isslightly larger but otherwise is similar in shape to that of the blank10 of the open-top box. The only difference therebetween is that, in thecase of the lid blank of FIG. 2, the four corner sections 140, 16c, 17cand 19c have portions cut away which are not cut away in the open-topbox blank 10. These portions are identified in FIG. 1 by the numerals54, 66, 67, 59, and are indicated by the clot and dash line whichextends from the 3,073,505 Patented Jan. 15, 1963 innermost limit of theY-cuts 34, 46, 47, 39 to the corners.-

To assemble or set up the open-top box, the blank shown in FIG. 1 isplaced flat on the table or other surface and the center section 15 ofthe end wall is folded upwardly along the fold line 51 to a verticalposition. Corner section 14 is then grasped by the left hand asillustrated in FIG. 3, and moved upwardly and inwardly causing the sidewall section 12 to fold upwardly along the fold line 21 and causing thecorner section 14 to fold along the line 42. The corner portion 44 ofcorner section 14 is passed inside section 15 and close thereto, and thecorner portion 55 of tab 25 is caused to enter the slit of the Y-cut 34.The center protrusion 35 of tab 25 becomes lodged behind the cornerportion of section 14 below the now vertical leg of slit 24.

Using the right hand as shown in FIG. 3, the other corner section 16 isthen raised upwardly and inwardly causing the side-wall sect-ion 13 tofold upwardly along the line 31 and causing corner section 16 to foldalong the line 63. The corner portion 56 of corner section 16 is passedinside and clos to section 15 and the slit portion of ear 26 enters thenow vertical leg of L-slit 24, the sloping edge 76 of the ear slidingover the lower edge of the slit 24. As the sloping edge 76 of ear 26enters slit 24, the corner portion 45 of tab 25 enters the Y-cut 46. Asa final motion, the right hand presses downwardly on the corner section16 causing the lowermost part of the L-slit 24 to rise up into the slit36 of the Y-cut and permitting the now upper edge of ear 26 to enter thenow horizontal leg of L-slit 24 and to be caught, retraction therefrombeing impeded by the upper edge of the said horizontal leg of Y-slit 24.

The three sections 14, 15 and 16 of the end wall of the box are nowlocked against collapse since the slit portion of ear 26 is lockedagainst the transverse displacement and the three sections can bedisassembled only by first lifting end section 16 to raise the slitportion of ear 26 sufficiently to clear the lowermost limit of slit 24.Since the normal forces tending to collapse the box do not exert anupward force on section 16, it will be seen that the box is lockedagainst collapse.

Sections '17, 18 and 19, comprising the opposite end wall of box 10 arethen assembled using the same procedure as that just described above.The open-top box is now in assembled or set-up condition.

The blank 20 of the box lid is then assembled in the manner illustratedin FIG. 4 which is similar to that just described for the box itself. Aspreviously indicated, the only difference structurally bet-ween the boxblank and the box-lid blank is in the omission from the box-lid blank ofthe portions 54, 66, 67, 59 lying to the outside of the dotted lines inFIG. 1 extending from the respective corners to the innermost limit ofthe Y-cuts. The omission of these portions from the box lid eliminatesthe tabs 54, 66, 67 and 59 which are present in the assembled open-topbox, as seen clearly in FIG. 6, and which, if also present in the boxlid, may tend to catch on the box tabs. The presence of these tabportions is desirable in the box itself since they add rigidity to thebox. Their omission from the lid is desirable in that the flexibility ofthe lid is increased permitting it to be readily placed over theopen-top box.

It will be seen that I have provided a two-piece folding box adapted tobe readily and quickly assembled from a pair of cut and scored blankseach of which employs a minimum of material. It will be further seenthat when set up, the box is locked against collapse.

While the preferred embodiment of this invention has been described insome detail, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made without departing from the invention ashereinafter claimed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A blank of flat cardboard and the like adapted to be folded to form arectangular box-like container, said blank comprising: a rectangularbottom section joined integrally at fold lines on each of two oppositeedges by a rectangular sidewall section and integrally joined at foldlines on each of the other two opposite edges by a generally triangularsection having in the apex region lateral extensions forming first andsecond tabs, each of said sidewall sections having a pair of generallyrectangular corner sections integrally joined to said sidewall sections,one at each of the fold lines along opposite edges of the sidewallsection, one of each pair of corner sections having an L-slit in acorner portion and a Y-cut in the outer edge opposite to said fold lineand the other of said pair of corner sections being provided with an earhaving a slit lobe and a Y-cut in the outer edge opposite said foldline, said Y-cuts, L-slit and ear being so located that when said blankis folded along its fold lines, said first tab enters said first-namedY-cut, said second tab enters said second-named Y-cut, and said earenters said L-slit, the slit lobe of said ear thereupon being retainedby said L-slit against removal by lateral force, thereby retaining theassembled container against collapse,

2. A folding box comprising an open-top box and a lid of generallysimilar configuration each assembled from an integral flat blank ofcardboard and the like, each of said blanks comprising: a rectangularbottom section joined integrally at fold lines on each of two oppositeedges by rectangular sidewall sections and joined integrally at foldlines on each of the other two opposite edges by generally triangularsections having in the apex regions horizontal extensions forming firstand second tabs, each of said side-wall sections having a pair ofgenerally rectangular corner sections joined integrally thereto, one ateach of the fold lines along opposite edges of the sidewall section, oneof each pair of corner sections having an L-slit in a corner portion anda Y-cut extending inwardly from an outer edge, the other of said cornersections being provided with an ear having a slit lobe and having aY-cut extending inwardly from an out er edge, each of said blanks beingadapted to be assembled into a set-up form, each of said generallytriangular sections being adapted to be folded to vertical positions,each of the corner sections which have an L-slit therein being adaptedto be raised upwardly and inwardly inside the vertically disposedtriangular section in such manner that said first tab enters saidfirst-mentioned Y-cut, each of said corner sections which have an earbeing adapted to be raised upwardly and inwardly inside the verticallydisposed triangular section in such manner that said second tab enterssaid second-mentioned Y-cut and said ear enters said L-slit, the slitlobe of said ear thereupon functioning to retain said ear in said L-slitagainst dislodgement by lateral force, thereby to maintain the assembledblank in set-up form.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,215,907 Klein Sept. 24, 1940 2,366,419 Meller Ian. 2, 1945 2,367,675Greenleaf Jan. 23, 1945 2,895,663 Paige July 21, 1959

2. A FOLDING BOX COMPRISING AN OPEN-TOP BOX AND A LID OF GENERALLY FLATBLANK OF CARDBOARD AND THE LIKE, EACH OF SAID BLANKS COMPRISING: ARECTANGULAR BOTTOM SECTION JOINED INTEGRALLY AT FOLD LINES ON EACH OFTWO OPPOSITE EDGES BY RECTANGULAR SIDEWALL SECTIONS AND JOINEDINTEGRALLY AT FOLD LINES ON EACH OF THE OTHER TWO OPPOSITE EDGES BYGENERALLY TRIANGULAR SECTIONS HAVING IN THE APEX REGIONS HORIZONTALEXTENSIONS FORMING FIRST AND SECOND TABS, EACH OF SAID SIDE-WALLSECTIONS HAVING A PAIR OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CORNER SECTIONS JOINEDINTEGRALLY THERETO, ONE AT EACH OF THE FOLD LINES ALONG OPPOSITE EDGESOF THE SIDEWALL SECTION, ONE OF EACH PAIR OF CORNER SECTIONS HAVING ANL-SLIT IN A CORNER PORTION AND A Y-CUT EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM AN OUTEREDGE, THE OTHER OF SAID CORNER SECTIONS BEING PROVIDED WITH AN EARHAVING A SLIT LOBE AND HAVING A Y-CUT EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM AN OUTEREDGE, EACH OF SAID BLANKS BEING ADAPTED TO BE ASSEMBLED INTO A SET-UPFORM, EACH OF SAID GENERALLY TRIANGULAR SECTIONS BEING ADAPTED TO BEFOLDED TO VERTICAL POSITIONS, EACH OF THE CORNER SECTIONS WHICH HAVE ANL-SLIT THEREIN BEING ADAPTED TO BE RAISED UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY INSIDETHE VERTICALLY DISPOSED TRIANGULAR SECTION IN SUCH MANNER THAT SAIDFIRST TAB ENTERS SAID FIRST-MENTIONED Y-CUT, EACH OF SAID CORNER SECTIONWHICH HAVE AN EAR BEING ADAPTED TO BE RAISED UPWARDLY AND INWARDLYINSIDE THE VERTICALLY DISPOSED TRIANGULAR SECTION IN SUCH MANNER THATSAID SECOND TAB ENTERS SAID SECOND-MENTIONED Y-CUT AND SAID EAR ENTERSSAID L-SLIT, THE SLIT LOBE OF SAID EAR THEREUPON FUNCTIONING TO RETAINSAID EAR IN SAID L-SLIT AGAINST DISLODGEMENT BY LATERAL FORCE, THEREBYTO MAINTAIN THE ASSEMBLED BLANK IN SET-UP FORM.